Until the Day I die
by T-Mos
Summary: What will Fang do if he thinks Max won't recover? what if she really never does?
1. Endless Worry

Her pale form slumped in Fang's arms as she yet again lost consciousness. Silent tears slipped down Fang's face and soaked into the blood stains that had consumed his black cotton shirt. _Max. Max, no please no don't die_, he silently screamed, as he stroked her cold cheek with the soft interior of his hand. A single song accompanied that single thought, and as he continued to tangle his rough hands into her golden hair, he whispered the lyrics as softly as if it was a prayer to God himself.

As years go by  
I race the clock with you  
But if you died right now  
You know that I'd die too  
I'd die too  
You remind me of the times  
When I knew who I was (I was)  
But still the second hand will catch us  
Like it always does  
We'll make the same mistakes  
I'll take the fall for you  
I hope you need this now  
Cause I know I still do  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you  
Should I bite my tongue?  
Until blood soaks my shirt  
We'll never fall apart  
Tell me why this hurts so much  
My hands are at your throat  
And I think I hate you  
But still we'll say, "remember when"  
Just like we always do  
Just like we always do  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you  
Yeah I'd spill my heart!!!  
Yeah I'd spill my heart for you!!!  
My hands are at your throat  
And I think I hate you  
We made the same mistakes  
Mistakes like friends do  
My hands are at your throat  
And I think I hate you  
We made the same mistakes  
Made the same mistakes  
Until the day I die  
I'll spill my heart for you, for you  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you, for you  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you  
Until the day I die (Until the day I die)  
Until the day I die!!!

Fang closed his already drooping eyes and tried as inconspicuously as he could to sniff back the sudden cascade of tears that threatened to betray him and fall without warning. His mind wandered until one muffled murmur wrenched him back to life and reality like a bullet that made its way to his chest. "Fang?" Max mumbled, her whole body tightening with the effort to produce that single word, that single name that needed to be said and heard by two different people.


	2. Remembering the Nightmare

**Okay, in the beginning **_**Until the Day I die **_**was only supposed to be a one-shot deal, but now as I think about it, I should go on with it as a couple of you reviewers wanted. So here it goes. Oh and by the way, "Until the Day I die" is by Story of the Year, and it's one of my favorite songs and at that time, it seemed to fit perfectly. Oh, and it really is an AWESOME song so go listen to it right after you read.  
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"_Fang?" Max mumbled, her whole body tightening with the effort to produce that single word, that single name that needed to be said and heard by two different people._

Nothing but shocked silence answered her raspy call for him. He couldn't take it anymore, he just lost control as his vision of Max's deathly white face blurred and salty-sweet tears dripped down his sharp-defined cheeks and nose... "I'm here Max, I'm here," he choked out after his mere moments of hesitation where he thought he would never be able to hear her soft voice again. He could barley make out what Max said then after, her hoarse throat cloaking her words so that she sounded as if a pillow or some type of barrier was held over her mouth and face. "It hurts Fang, it hurts too much! What's happening to me?" He held a finger to her lips and absently traced the dark, bruise like circles under her eyes as he tried to recall every detail that had happened. He knew he needed to provide her with some kind of answer, but **what** _had_ really happened to her? He squeezed his eyes shut in thought and focused on the gruesome memory. They had just left the Martinez's house….

_The sky was perfect and pure with no clouds clogging up the clear, beautiful plains of blue, that seemed to go on and on forever . Fang soared and swooped in the wind letting it drive him onto that highway of sky. His face cemented itself into place masking his joyous emotion of flying and letting the wind ruffle his dark feathers. The rest of the Flock was unusually quiet, even Nudge, and that was definitely saying something. They had all gotten so used to Ella and her Mom, that it was almost as if they were actually leaving a flock member behind. Fang's eyes started to water from a newly formed gust of wind that attacked the air, resulting in none-other than Ms. Sarcastic Max whimpering "Aw, Fangy, are you crying already? We just left my own family and _your_ crying? You must have gotten really attached." She had been acting like this all day, teasing him, and only him. The others just ignored it, but Fang knew why she was acting like this. He didn't think that leaving the Martinez's affected anyone more than Max. Yes, that's right, Ms. tough girl was finally starting to show a weakness! A love for humans, no less! And how exactly was she handling this? By picking on **him**. ...That hypocrite. However, Fang only glared at her, not wanting to push her over the edge after knowing all these years how unstable she was when introduced to another one of her few flaws. Despite Fang's icy gaze, she still wouldn't give it a rest, she even went above and beyond, acting as if his glare had physically hurt her by clutching her chest and falling only to shoot back up into his view, softly snickering. He turned away and pumped his wings to swing back to the front of the group, until Angel's high-pitched little voice entered his thoughts mentally and physically as she screamed and prodded his mind at the same time. "FANG! It's Max, she's not pretending anymore, something's wrong!!" Her voice was filled with such emotion that he whipped his head back only to see a wide-eyed Max, her honey-blonde locks whipping around her face, while her hand once again had a hold of her shirt, only this time a crimson color was starting to spread where her grip had tightened and, rather quickly, around her hand, forming a blotch of blood. Her white short sleeved shirt was starting to take on the appearance of a somewhat bad tie-dyed outer garment. Max's gaze started to slowly fall upon Fang as one silent word took form on her dry, cracked lips…help… Her eyes fluttered closed while her head lolled to the side just as her wings stopped supporting her weight and her body began its decent back down to Earth. Angel's hysterical voice once again broke the silence of Fang's thoughts yelling, "GO TO HER FANG! NOW!" Realization suddenly splayed on Fang's face as if Angel had slapped him, and with that he folded in his wings and dove down, willing his muscles to tighten and allow him to cut through the wind like a knife through butter. Max was now just beyond his reach as his arms stretched out in front of him. The ground was nearing until it was too close for comfort. JUST A LITTLE MORE, Fang's mind screamed. Fang clenched his teeth and straightened his body out, and like an arrow actually shot past Max until she fell into his arms. His teeth ground together as her combined weight and gravity strained his arm muscles to their max. Jet-black wings whipped out from their hiding place behind Fang's muscular back and caught an air current just in time to save and support their two passengers. "And with only 30 feet to go", Fang mumbled, "Must be a new record." His cocky smile soon faded as his eyes once again fell upon Max's face that seemed to be scrunched up in pain. The other Flock members soon appeared, and Fang, without even saying a word, motioned to land in the forest that now surrounded them. _

Fang knew he couldn't relive what had happened when they had landed, when Max again and again lost consciousness and regained it over and over. It was too much to handle at that time and still too much to handle even now. He fought the memory back down until it was only a wisp of thought buried deep in his mind. "I don't know what's happening Max, I don't know," Fang finally whispered as if by saying those few words, he ultimatley just tore the walls down that had protected him, the walls that had disguised him as the all knowing, tough, and emotionless Fang.

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Okay. So yah, I hate to make you wait for the next chapter thats already typed up and what not, but come on people, let me get an encore! Do yah want more? So what is happening to Max anyway? Maybe a lil fax if ya'll are good reviewers. lol. love- t-mos 


	3. Midnight Sun

Alright my little reviewers, here's the next chappie. It's a little shorter than last time, but I think it serves its purpose. It took me a while to write, cuz I tried to include many ideas. Even though this isn't a total Song Fic thing, I absolutley love music so expect to see more songs and lyrics come into the picture, because they fit perfectly. And sometimes, you know, music expresses more feelings wise than regular old writing anyway, so yah.. ENJOY...**  
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**Chapter 3: Midnight Sun**

The sun slowly died, ablaze with orange and pink flames strewn across the horizon, and yet it was only an introduction to the bright, shining stars that served the Flock as an exotic "night light." Iggy had wrapped Max's abdomen tightly with an extra shirt so she could lie peacefully and comfortably on the soft damp earth. She curled into a ball close to the glowing embers of the fire so that the shadows would hide her from view and yet she could still hear and watch her surroundings. Her gaze floated over to Fang and Iggy, the only members of the Flock that still remained awake, who also seemed to be engrossed in deep conversation. She didn't need to tune her ears into their discussion. She already knew the topic of tonight...Herself... The loud cackling of the fire allowed Max only to catch a couple of the few sentences the boys had muttered. Worry was braided deep into each of their voices, "**What if she has a disease?** Do you think that's what it is?...And yet, the injury was internal, so how could it have broken the surface of her skin?" Those simple questions started to blossom in Max's mind and with each second, a weed of belief and worry began to sprout, letting her confident garden of a mind turn to a dead patch of ruin and grow into a haven for worse things to come. Thoughts raced through her mind, _was she really putting the Flock in danger? What if she really did have a disease…thattt…? SHE COULD SPREAD TO EVERYONE ELSE?!! _She wouldn't, no she couldn't do that to them, her family, she couldn't kill them because of her own illness, she needed to run. Away from them, away from the only people she cared about, away, just to save them from herself, and from…whatever she's turning into, or whatever she has. She needed to escape but this would be tough, her Flock was the best around, and it would take an expert to get past their sleeping forms and the mutant on watch. Luckily for her, she was Maximum Ride, the best there ever was.

Iggy had gone to sleep long ago, having bid his goodnight to Fang, who had taken 1st watch. (What a surprise that was) However, by the looks of it, Fang wouldn't last, no matter how relentless he seemed to be, Max could see his shoulders already start to slump over with fatigue. It was only a matter of mere moments…

Moments unfortunately happened to be half an hour later, when finally, Fang's whole body involuntarily shut down and slid from his post (a.k.a., a random log) down into the awaiting grass. This was Max's time, her cue, to leave and never return. Her eyes swept lovingly over the Flock, hovering over Fang's sleeping body, until her wings flashed out from behind and carried her towards the heavens. The moon illuminated her tawny feathers and almost warmed them, but her heart was still heavy, cold, with desperation and cowardice until a song drifted into her head, a song that pushed her to keep going and never look back. Even though her voice cracked with each lyric and each line, and sobs continuously racked through her whole body, the words gave her strength and so she continued to sing while furiously wiping at the tears with the worn sleeve of her sweatshirt.

I think I'm breaking out  
I'm gonna leave you now  
There's nothing for me here  
It's all the same  
And even though I knowThat everything might go  
Go down hill from here  
I'm not afraid  
Way away away from here I'll be  
Way away away so you can see  
How it feels to be alone and not believe [It feels to be alone and not believe  
Feels to be alone and not believe  
Anything  
You can't stop me now  
You can't hold me down  
You can't keep me here  
I'm on my way  
I made it this far now  
And I'm not burning out  
No matter what you say  
I'm not afraid  
Way away away from here I'll be  
Way away away so you can see  
How it feels to be alone and not believe [Feels to be alone and not believe  
Feels to be alone and not believe  
Anything  
Letting out the noise inside of me [Letting out the noise inside of me  
Every windowpane is shattering [Every windowpane is shattering  
Cutting out my words before I speak [Cutting out my words  
This is how it feels to not believe  
Letting out the noise inside of me [Letting out the noise inside of me  
Every windowpane is shattering [Every windowpane is shattering  
Cutting out my words before I speak [Cutting out my words  
This is how it feels to not believe  
Way away  
Away from here I'll be  
Way away  
Away so you can see  
How it feels to be alone and not believe [Feels to be alone and not believe  
How it feels to be alone and not believe  
Anything

Max's soul flew high among her wings with the words that were born from her lips. She looked to the sky for reassurance. Ah, the midnight sun, the only friend that Max still had, the only friend who would stay by her always and forever, her guidance, her love, the only thing that would never change. The moon.


	4. Tears Don't Fall They CRASH

**Okey dokey guys. here's the 4th chapter. it's short and sweet and to the point and i'm definatley elaborating later in the next chapters, but hey I might as well give you a little "teaser" as they say. So have fun, READ ENJOY REVIEW**

**Love,**

**T-mos**

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_IN the last chapter: _

_Max's soul flew high among her wings with the words that were born from her lips. She looked to the sky for reassurance. Ah, the midnight sun, the only friend that Max still had, the only friend who would stay by her always and forever, her guidance, her love, the only thing that would never change. The moon._

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I wanna love, I wanna leave  
I Want You To Love Me  
I want you To Leave me  
I Wanna Stand Where I Can See  
I'm Watching you Love Me  
I'm Watching You Leavin Me Now

I Wish I Could Be Somebody Else  
I Wish I Could See You In Myself  
Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me And  
Say What You Really Feel  
You Know I Need Something That's Real  
I Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me

I Wanna Know If I Could Be  
Someone to Turn To  
That Could Never Hurt You  
But I Know What You Think Of Me  
Yea, You Had a Break-Through  
And Now I'm Just Bad News For You

I Wish I Could Be Somebody Else

I Wish I Could See You In Myself  
Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me And  
Say What You Really Feel  
You Know I Need Something That's Real  
I Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me

I Should've Told You Everything  
I Never Gave You Anything  
I Should've Told You Everything  
If I Could Give You Anything  
You Know I'd Tell You Everything

I Wish I Could Be Somebody Else  
I Wish I Could See You In Myself  
Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me And  
Say What You Really Feel  
You Know I Need Something That's Real  
Wish there Was Something Inside Me  
To Keep You Beside Me

I Should've Told You Everything

Fang. He did it to her. He did it to Max. He exiled her to her own sorrow, her own dark hole of a heart, where he would have to rescue her from _herself_. But even if he turned out to be a hero in the end, he was still a monster. His mouth had still opened that night, stupidly in front of Max and had conveyed his worries to Iggy without even thinking. The only reason for Fang's usual silence was to calculate each of his own individual moves, his individual actions. By doing so, he was Fang, the one and only, and now he was just the useless mutant who made stupid mistakes and hurt the ones he loved. He had blown it. He had blown it all away to try and figure out what was wrong with Max and his **panic for her** had hurried his lips into the betrayal of _speaking_.


	5. So Sick

**CHAPTER 5!** yayyyy..lol sorry ya'll that I haven't been able to update very often, I've been away at camp and stuff. However, dont worry because for the next week or so, if I get at least 5 reviews for this new chapter, I'll post the next one. so yeah, READ ENJOY AND REVIEWWW. btw, for ch. 6, i expect 6 reviews and ch. 7 with 7 reviews and so on, if you catch my drift. sooo here you guys areee

love,

t-mos

P.S. song is "Brain Stew" by Greenday

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A year ago, Max would've been huddled beside the flock, drifting asleep with at least some sense of security cast around her like a blanket. But that was a year ago, practically a _lifetime._ The flock's faces were just blurry images now, while the sharpest memory she had of them was leaving. Their names however were etched deeply into her mind, so blunt and bold, that she found herself absently mouthing Fang or Nudge. Since the night she had left, change had stripped her down until her body and mind were not itself and they didn't seem to belong to her anymore. Her own name became foreign in her mind and on her tongue.

Max's illness had taken over and had formed this new life where pain continuously racked through her whole body, urging blood to seep into her shirt from unknown wounds, breaking through the surface of delicate tissue and muscle. The milky white skin that once belonged to Max was not hers anymore either, instead it was captured and tortured by new welts and new scabs that spread across her stomach and limbs, drawing the energy from them and letting them fall, lifeless. By now, she was surprised she had lived at all. By now, she just wanted it to end.

Jeb still whispered words of encouragement in her mind, but what was the point? If her body hadn't still been completely useless, she would have surely strangled herself by now. Max knew that Jeb knew what was happening to her, and she hated him for it. She might be at the School right now, for all that she knew. Blue black bruises had circled her eyes sealing them shut ever since she had landed a couple of days ago in a quaint little meadow of Maine, surrounded by forest. Before then, the pain was still tolerable for flight, and the bleeding was prevented with thick cotton blankets that she had nicked off of some poor camper's bedside. Until then she was "going with the flow" as Jeb had said many times, and long ago.

Now, she was succumbed in a cocoon of warm, soothing, inky darkness that swallowed her whole. It was nice, but every time she moved an arm and brushed her body, she could still feel the wet grass or her own rough, scaly skin. It was as if she had been decapitated but her soul was still attached to her body. The only senses left to her were of touch and taste, while the others seemed to become completely obliterated. It was awful. And so she just lay there, whispering to Jeb, and depending on him for comfort. Ah, the sleep of death was waiting, or at least she hoped and thought.

" **I'm having trouble trying to sleep  
I'm counting sheep but running out  
As time ticks by  
And still I try  
No rest for cross tops in my mind**

**On my own... here we go**

**My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed  
Dried up and bulging out my skull  
My mouth is dry  
My face is numb  
fucked up and spun out in my room**

**On my own... here we go**

**My mind is set on overdrive  
The clock is laughing in my face  
A crooked spine  
My sense dulled  
Passed the point of delirium**

**On my own... here we go**

**My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed  
Dried up and bulging out my skull  
My mouth is dry  
My face is numb  
fucked up and spun out in my room**

**On my own... here we go "**


	6. Camping

**CHAPTER 6!!!! **

COME ON GUYS! I know I can rake in at least 3 reviews sheesh. sends death glare anyways, whoa chapter 5 was definitely informative.  And so the story continues…

R.R.R. (**R**emember to **R**ead and **R**eview)

Love,

T.Mos

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Silence clouded the air, so thick and heavy, as it set upon the Flock's shoulders, letting the full weight of despair crush onto their backs. The only audible sound was the rustle of feathers in the wind, while the occasional night owl called into the night. The Flock had taken off after clearing the buffet table of food at some ancient diner, and was now headed in the direction of their temporary home in some sleep-away camp. The camp was somewhere in New Jersey with dorms adorned with peeling paint and chipped, wooden bunk beds that supported scruffy mattresses; it was like a hotel suite compared to the cold outdoors.

Autumn was approaching, and fast, bringing with it chilling blasts of air that cut into your clothes and seeped deep into your skin, stinging the soft flesh. The dorms were so far so good as the heating system still attempted to warm the rooms, clattering and banging with the effort.

Fang's hoarse cough echoed in the night while Angel's voice resounded in his thoughts, _Are you okay?_ Fang gave a curt nod, swallowing the sour bile that had suddenly swelled up his throat. Each day his health suffered…but no one could help him. The only person that knew what he was going through was probably the only bird kid that he would never be able to see again. And because of her absence, it meant both of their deaths. All Fang knew was that he had to find Max, and he had to find her quick. The morning the Flock had found her gone, was the beginning of the blame that Fang buried himself in. He should have been there, he should have been on watch, and he should have been able to stop her. This was going to be _fun_.

Angel was the first to drop into the building by way of open window. Her sneakers squeaked in protest as she balanced herself on the metal sill and leapt onto the coarse carpet below. The others soon followed suit, and continued to march silently into the common room where a good sized TV rested on a chest of drawers. The Flock stationed themselves on the maroon colored cloth couches that surrounded the TV. With a push of a button, the blank screen came to life with a soft zip. All eyes glued themselves to the news on channel 3 that was now issuing some sort of alarm or notice.

A middle-aged man appeared on the screen, his deep voice bellowing out the title of today's headline. "The pandemic has spread. Good evening, I'm John Boon and this is Breaking News on news channel 3. Another life is lost tonight by H5N1, otherwise known as the Avian Flu. Officials have reported the death of Clarke Garson as one of the thousands of people that have already died due to this disease. After H5N1's spread into North America two years ago, it has taken nearly 3,149 people without mercy. This new Avian Bird Flu is spread by saliva and close contact with other infected humans or different species of bird. Hospitals and medical personnel are quick to alert everyone to report to your local medical office or emergency room and claim a vaccine. Until then, everyone is advised to stay with close relatives only until further notice… And now here's Greg Dawn with the weather. Greg?"

Iggy closed his sightless eyes, pondering this alert that he had only heard about a million times, and yet this one hit him hard for some odd reason. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was almost as if he had just heard the man relay answers to all of the Flock's questions, and maybe, just maybe he had…


End file.
